Florrie Arnold

Don’t let Florrie Arnold’s covergirl looks fool you — this British bird kills! Playing in a variety of London-based pop and rock outfits, Florrie absolutely knows the meaning of playing for the song, and in some cases, elevating inferior material. The English teen has recorded singles for Girls Aloud and Aleesha Dixon and there’s sure to be more studio work coming her way. Funky 6/8? Check. Punk-rock speed and power? Hell yeah! Sultry shuffles? For days, man. And we haven’t even gotten to the seamless crossovers, meaty fills, and other tasty accents and flourishes. Even the less sexy but a-hundred-times-more-important rudiments such as independence and tempo consistency are second nature to Ms. Arnold. If we had one criticism it’s the occasional rock-star mugging during her sets, but maybe she’s just preparing for the inevitable. Besides, how can you fault anyone when they’re having such a ball?